Even if it is a Monster
by Laughing
Summary: Oneshot. Pre-Series. Sophia Leandros finds out she's pregnant-again-and is revolted, considering who the father is, but Niko is excited at the thought of a baby brother. Enter Cal. Rated T for language and mentions of Auphe/human sex.


Disclaimer: I don't own any of Rob Thurman's works or characters, and making no profit from this story.

* * *

"Congratulations, Miss Leandros, you're pregnant."

"_Shit_," Sophia whispered under her breath before promptly throwing up on the clinic nurse's shoes.

"Ohh…" the nurse said, trying to mask her disgust. "Morning sickness, hon?"

The thought of morning sickness, a clear signal of pregnancy, nauseated Sophia all the more, causing her to gag. She controlled herself this time, though, and pushed the bile back down. Clearing her throat, she said, "I have to go."

The nurse glanced up from the paper towel she was using to try to clean off her shoes. "I have to ask you a few questions first. Are you planning to keep the baby?"

"Of course," Sophia bit out, inwardly smirking at the irony. She wanted nothing more than some doctor to cut the little monster out of her so she could go on her merry way, but no. That wasn't an option for her. If she did, then it would know, and it would kill her. She knew that it could too—after all, it nearly had the last time she had seen it. Hell, it had done everything else to her.

"Well, you need to schedule an appointment with an OB soon, okay? If you ask at the front desk, they'll give you a card. Is this your first child?"

"No. I have a five-year-old in the hall."

"Then you know the drill. You got insurance?"

_Get out get out get out get out. _"Do I fucking look like I have insurance?"

The nurse raised an eyebrow and threw away the soiled paper towels. "You can pay up front, then."

Sophia rolled her eyes and got off the gurney, hating the small bulge that had already formed in her uterus. It had been four months since she had screwed it, and for four months she'd known that it was in her, but it had taken this long to find the courage to make it official.

Niko was in the same place that she'd left him, sitting cross-legged outside the door. Sophia stared down at him for a moment, and he stared back.

"Are you going to have a baby?" Niko asked solemnly, and Sophia shivered. The kid was too damned smart. How the hell had he known why they were here?

"I'm going to have _something_ alright," she answered, then walked out the door of the clinic, trusting Niko to follow her. She walked swiftly to the beat-up car that still somehow ran, and began to back out of the parking lot as soon as Niko had closed his door. As if on cue, the nurse ran out, determined not to let Sophia skip out on the bill, but she was too late. Sighing, she turned to go back to the clinic, deciding to send a bill to the address that Miss Gertrude Leandros had given her, even though she was sure it was fake.

Sophia drove exactly one block away before she pulled into a gas station and turned off the car. Opening her door, she vomited onto the parking lot. Heaves were mixed with strangled sobs as she emptied the contents of her stomach, wishing that the monster fetus inside of her would come up too.

All too well could she remember that pale, pale skin pressed up against her, each rough thrust tearing through her, ripping her apart. She could still see those blood red eyes crinkle with pleasure as she screamed. Blood had been everywhere, and it had been all she could do to not kick him in the face when he'd stopped licking her chest and had moved further south. He'd been nipping at her, and the last thing she wanted were his teeth anywhere down _there_. His greasy hair slithered across her body as he moved, and his probing fingers had been everywhere. As soon as he'd walked into the room, Sophia had known that this was the worst deal she'd ever made. It was true that the pay up was big, but to let that…_monster_…touch her made every nerve in her body scream. It was unnatural, she knew, and beside from the same general anatomy, there was nothing human about the thing that had crushed himself into her, forcing her body to become an incubator for his offspring.

"Mommy?" Niko asked softly, reaching out to touch Sophia's shoulder. "It's okay. It's just a baby."

Sophia sat up straight and turned to face Niko, grabbing his small hand in both of hers. "Niko, listen to me. This," she placed his hand on her stomach, "is _not_ a baby."

She removed her hands, but Niko kept his there. Without taking his eyes off of her stomach, he said, "What is it, then?"

"It's a monster."

Niko knew all about monsters. They were always coming over and trading things with his mom. And as he felt a movement in Sophia's belly, he _knew_ that that was not a monster. "I think that it's a baby," he said.

Sophia yanked his hand away from her stomach. "It is _not_ a baby, Niko," she said, raising her voice.

"It's not a monster," Niko whispered.

"What did you say?"

"It's _not_ a monster." Niko reached out his hand again toward her stomach, but Sophia slapped it before he could reach the bulge.

Niko pulled his hand to his chest, shielding it from Sophia. He looked at his mother, then to her stomach, then back to her, and he made a decision. "Even if it is a monster, I'm going to take care of it, okay?"

Sophia watched as his hurt expression turned to one of determination, and she watched as the last of his affections for her were stolen away by the demon in her womb.

* * *

_A/N: I know, this was a little different from what I normally write, but Sophia's character really intrigues me, and I wanted to write a piece like this, showing my interpretation of Miss Leandros. I'd love to hear what you thought._


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